Scientific Writing and Scholarly Publishing: Article writing

Journals should specify which article types they publish in the Aims & Scope and Author Information sections. Review the guidelines for your chosen journal and article type and structure your manuscript accordingly before submitting.

The following sources demonstrate some common and not-so-common article types, as well as definitions of the broad range of study types:

• Common article types published by journals (Editage Insights). A slide deck providing characteristics of original research articles, review articles, clinical case studies, perspective articles, and many other article types
• Article categories published by F1000 Research, including some non-traditional types such as data notes, policy briefs, and registered reports
• Study types as defined by JAMA Network Open
• Social science research methods (Open Oregon Educational Resources) 

How to find journals that publish a particular article type

Identifying journals that publish less common article types can require some sleuthing. Try these resources:

• Journal selection tools like Jane (Journal Author/Name Estimator), which searches articles indexed in PubMed. Include the study or article type (e.g. systematic review, perspective article) in your search terms.
• UCSF Versa Chat or similar generative AI tools - ask the program to identify journals that publish your study type, word count, or other specifics. Check the resulting journals to verify the information.
• UC's Journal Open Access Lookup Tool (JOLT) - identifies journals by title keywords and displays the level of UC coverage for open access publishing. Useful for finding journals dedicated to case reports.
• See other journal finding tips via our Steps to Finding the Right Journal guide.

Use checklists to guide the writing process

• A checklist for writing reports of original research for publication - by Pamela Derish of UCSF and Susan Eastwood (also available on the CLE)
• EQUATOR Network - authoritative collection of over 600 reporting guidelines required by some journals for study types in health research. Examples include randomized controlled trials (CONSORT guidelines), systematic reviews (PRISMA), observational studies (STROBE), case reports (CARE), qualitative research (SRQR), and quality improvement studies (SQUIRE).

Research articles report on original research and typically follow the IMRaD structure, consisting of Introduction, Methods, Results, and Discussion and Conclusions sections. The article's title and abstract are best written after completing these sections.

• Writing a journal manuscript tutorial (Springer Nature) is an excellent, concise, step-by-step overview of identifying research questions and writing research articles. Includes a 2-page cheat sheet and an audiovisual format (registration required) with a brief quiz.
• PLOS Writing Center has many helpful posts on writing good article titles (with examples), abstracts, methods, discussions and conclusions, statistics, and how to edit your work. Includes do's and don'ts for each section.
• Writing Research Articles (UCSF OCPD) offers tips and annotated examples for writing the sections of an article - title & abstract; introduction; materials & methods; results; discussion; and figures, tables, and legends. 
• Clinical Chemistry's Guide to Scientific Writing (subscription access) - a series of articles on writing for publication, written by Thomas Annesley and UCSF's Pamela Derish
• How to write a research paper (Science Careers) provides recommended approaches from early career scientists in a question-and-answer format. 

See additional recommended resources on clarity in scientific writing and help with the writing process (UCSF only - CLE).

A clinical case report is an in-depth study of a particular medical case. 

• A case for case studies - from the book Medical and Scientific Publishing
• Guidelines to writing a clinical case report - a concise overview article
• Clinical case report detailed guidance from MD Anderson Cancer Center for each section of the case report
• CARE guidelines - a checklist of content to be included in case reports, as required by some journals to increase accuracy, transparency, and usefulness
• Patient consent is critical for clinical case reports. Journals often require a patient consent form to be included with manuscript submission. See BMJ's policy on patient consent and confidentiality and its consent form as an example. 

Finding journals that publish case reports

Some journals are dedicated to case reports, whereas others include them as one of the article types they publish. See the journal finder tools in the box above for tips on finding matching journals.

The UCSF Library pays for an institutional fellowship for BMJ Case Reports, which covers UCSF author fees to publish in the journal. Obtain the fellowship code on UCSF Box.

• Anatomy of writing for publication for nurses - ebook available through the Library
• Nurse Author & Editor - a publication dedicated to scholarly writing and publishing in the nursing literature. Home of the Nursing Journals Directory
• Writing for Publication: An easy-to-follow guide for nurses (Wiley) - tips for writing different publication types, copyright issues, publication ethics and more
• Writing resources (American Journal of Nursing) - four freely accessible articles on what types of articles to write, writing structure and style, navigating the publishing process, and becoming a published writer

• Adapting a dissertation or thesis into a journal article - from APA
• APA style and grammar guidelines
• Writing your journal article in 12 weeks: A guide to academic publishing success - print book available through the Library

Using plain language to help your readers understand scientific writing is useful not only for a public audience but also for other scientists.

• Federal plain language guidelines
• NIH's plain language resource offers helpful guidance for writing for a general audience
• Plain Language Medical Dictionary (University of Michigan) - provides concise, plain-language descriptions for common medical terms
• Scientific Writing for UCSF Authors: Techniques for Clarity and Brevity. This UCSF-developed course offers practical suggestions for precise, concise, and understandable scientific writing. Example sentences are included for each section and as a PDF handout.

Plain language summaries

• Creating a plain language summary (American Geophysical Union)
• In a nutshell: How to write a lay summary (Elsevier)
• Plain language summaries of research (eLife)

Writing for patients, the web, and social media

• CDC Clear Communication Index includes an index to help you develop and assess public communication materials, and the Everyday Words search tool for suggested language to reduce jargon and increase understanding
• Communicating science online (AAAS) toolkit for websites, blogs, and social media; and engaging with journalists and policymakers
• Health Literacy Online (ODPHP, part of DHHS) for developing intuitive health websites and digital tools
• The Patient Education Materials Assessment Tool (PEMAT) and user's guide (AHRQ)